When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others - demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

As a déchet - a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war - Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being - an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.

Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe...

Tiger is a déchet, a race created by humans to fight in the war against shifters. Almost everyone of her kind has been killed in and after the war, but due to her excelleng genetic makeup she's still alive. Tiger went into hiding straight after the war and has been living a secluded life, mostly isolated from the rest of the world, for decades. The ghosts of the déchet children that didn't survive the war are still around. They're keeping her company and they are her eyes and ears sometimes.

Finding a child in need of her help changes Tiger's life completely. Suddenly she has to deal with the world again and not only that, she has to face some awful danger to keep helping a group of people she didn't even know before she found the child. Tiger has to do everything she can to lead more children to safety, but it comes with a price. Is it a price she can actually pay?

City of Light is a story about an unusual woman. She might be a creation from a lab, but Tiger does have feelings. When there are children involved she has to do something to save them. She's tough, she's strong and she has some very interesting skills. I immediately liked her a lot. The world building is fantastic. I loved the idea of a world that has been altered by a war between humans and shifters. There are cities that need protection, all kinds of dangerous creatures are roaming the streets and nobody's safe. There are so many different species and it was fun to read about them. I especially enjoyed the importance of the ghosts in the story.

The fighting scenes are absolutely amazing. I loved the way Tiger manages to defend herself. There's a lot of action and the fighting in every action scene is different and very well described. The story is gripping and it's one big adrenaline rush, which is exactly the way I like it. I enjoyed the first book of this series so much that I am already counting the days until the next one will come out.﻿

The shadows have become the hunting grounds for demons, wraiths and death spirits leaving cities of artificial lights as the only safe places to be but when Tiger rescues a little girl she discovers that the light may no longer be enough to protect them in this thrilling start to a new urban fantasy series.

As a déchet, Tiger has spent her life in hiding and the reader can’t help but get caught up in the pulse pounding excitement as Tiger discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight. Spine tingling tension builds as the danger escalates with lots of pressures and tension between Tiger and the shapehifters who want her help rescuing the children due to past conflicts and issues which also has lots of emotional turmoil flowing from the pages as they try to work together as well causing some adrenaline pumping excitement. There is some sex scenes in the story but not a lot of romance although there is quite a bit of sizzling sexual tension building between Tiger and one of the shifters, no matter how much they try to ignore it.

The well written scenes and details paint vivid images of this intriguing futuristic world that is full of interesting elements as the world mixes a bit of science fiction with the paranormal into a post-apocalyptic world where there is lots of dangerous excitement to be found. The characters are strong, compelling and draw the readers in while the fast paced, smooth flowing plot thrills readers with lots of suspense action and turmoil.

Once again, Keri Arthur has built an amazing new world that kept me glued to the pages and the heroine, kicks butt but is completely realistic and has many fascinating qualities and refreshing differences that I can’t wait to find out more about.

It's been a long time since I last read a Keri Arthur book, the final in the Riley Jenson series. (I own all the Dark Angel and Souls of Fire novels, but haven't read them yet.) What I love about those are the serial killer cases to investigate.

CITY OF LIGHT, however, is an entirely different kettle of fish, though this Outcast world also has shifters and vampires, and the lead character is a hybrid. Tiger is a shifter-vampire humanoid, genetically engineered by the military to act as a "lure" - to seduce targets, collect their secrets, then kill them. This was during the time of the war between shifters and vampires that opened some rift that let wraiths and whatnot into Tiger's world. (I still don't understand rifts.)

I came in expecting a sci-fi novel, but it's much more paranormal - which had me struggling to make sense and picture things. The biggest problem is Tiger herself. Her shifter genes came from a tiger, but not just any tiger - a WHITE tiger. The book acknowledges that white tigers are rare, but neglects to mention why - INBREEDING. Yes, there are some Bengal white tigers in the world, but mostly the white tigers you see are a result of inbreeding, which leads to health problems such as kidney issues.

So why don't Tiger's genes come from a regular orange-with-black-stripes tiger? White tigers don't have special abilities, and as mentioned above they come with extra health concerns. So why would you use THEIR genes, instead of healthier genes? You wouldn't. So the white tiger element does NOT MAKE SENSE. Tiger never shifts into a tiger, anyway - she shifts into other people, and "particles" consisting of shadows or a "sunshine shield". So the only reason I can think of to include the white tiger aspect would be...aesthetics? Though in one scene, Tiger's old friend refers to her being orange, which he should've known better about but Tiger acknowledges that and shags him anyway, even though she doesn't trust him. *headdesk*

I can't wrap my head around the world-building. I figured that the population was decimated during the war, but there's still enough for the city to have at least TWO high-class brothels? Tiger scavenges for food, but that doesn't explain how the bunker she lives in has power, if she can't afford to pay it. Also, does she live IN a museum, or next to one? Her security set-up of laser grids and whatnot belong to the museum, I think, so I couldn't quite follow.

And the ghosts. Tiger's regular companions are Cat and Bear, whom at first I thought were ghosts of her colleagues in the military, but they're actually ghost children. And we're told that there are "hundreds" of "little ones" in Tiger's bunker, but since we don't individually meet them by name it's kind of hard to care when their lives are at risk. (Well, their ghost lives.)

Had I understood the world more, I would've been better able to connect with the story and characters. Hopefully Book 2 will fill in the gaps so I won't feel so baffled.